nequal opportunities for education deepen learning poverty and widen social disparities in a society. The rural-urban divide and segregated public and private educational systems exacerbate such multilayered inequalities, leading to visible gaps in learners’ skills and competencies across different strata, thereby privileging the elite.

Pakistan’s education system has failed to nurture the desired educational outcomes for all learners and provide the human resource capital to contribute to economic development. Although the government is offering scholarships to ensure more equitable access to underprivileged learners, the measures taken on the ground are insufficient to address the widening gap among learners from various social classes. Many aspects of the system demand a serious overhaul.

There is a huge disconnect between schools and higher education in Pakistan. School heads and teachers appear to be unaware of, even uninterested in, the policies and vision of higher education. As a result their practices do not align with the same. Much of the talent in schools goes waste due to a lack of guidance and clarity on venturing into higher education. Many universities worldwide have developed excellent liaisons with schools to inspire students, develop their mindset and equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills for transitioning to higher education. However, the practice is lacking in our country.

Effort in higher secondary schools should be directed towards developing collaborations and bringing secondary school learners closer to higher education before they join the universities. Students currently in higher education need to be mobilised for effective higher secondary school collaboration with universities. This can be beneficial in terms of skill enhancement and exposure.

The universities can head-start mentorship programsme, where higher-education students may mentor school students on academic choices, university applications and navigating higher education challenges. Such workshops and information sharing sessions may also include parents and community members to demystify university admissions processes and highlight the importance of higher education. Moreover, the students may be engaged in collaborative community services that emphasise leadership, teamwork, collaboration, coordination and social responsibility, making the transition to higher education more relatable.

The universities in Pakistan may plan summer bridge programmes (SBPs) to prepare students for the academic rigor of higher education, focusing on essential soft skills like study habits, time management and critical thinking. They may also provide counseling support by holding joint advising sessions where high school heads/ teachers/ counselors may collaborate with universities’ facilitation centres to guide students through the university application process.

The universities in Pakistan may plan summer bridge programmes to prepare students for the academic rigor of higher education, focusing on essential soft skills like study habits, time management and critical thinking.

Financial literacy workshops may be devised to educate students and parents about the available financial grants, scholarships and budgeting to address financial concerns that might hinder enrollment. Universities and other higher education institutions should develop and implement fair policies to ensure equitable educational access and equity-focused scholarships for underprivileged youth. Funding is needed to promote academic equity. This may include fulfilling the need for basic learning resources, necessary to provide high-quality education to all students in the rapidly changing world.

Pakistan’s education system struggles to improve the quality of teachers and build their capacity to create a quality teaching-learning environment for learners. Teachers, in certain situations, tend to be unfair, unjust, gender-biased and/ or biased on personal grounds. This may amount to intellectual corruption, dishonesty in performing duties and indulgence in discriminatory behaviours. Teacher training in Pakistan has predominantly focused on the technical aspects of teaching. These are required for transfer of knowledge to students. However, personal, social and ethical aspects have been accorded lesser priority in teacher training.

To counter inequities on the teachers’ part, ethical pedagogy is gaining attention internationally. The equity pedagogy is being introduced to address and eradicate inequities that students face in the instructional processes. This fosters an inclusive and equitable environment for all, where all students, teachers and staff feel valued and the diverse needs of students are met. This strengthens the sense of achievement and belonging, consequential to fostering a culture of mutual collaboration, coordination, peace and harmony.

The tilt towards equity and inclusivity is a challenge in systems having a deficit of basic human values. Practicing basic values, such as responsibility, honesty, sincerity and devotion to work; treating everyone with respect and kindness; extending care for struggling students; and avoiding judgments based on bias, prejudice and discrimination do not require a budget. There is a need to commit to and take action to handle the prevailing inequities fairly and to create a safe and non-threatening environment for the vulnerable, reluctant and invisible learners. Efforts have to be made to formulate and implement an equitable curriculum for students that meets the diverse needs and capabilities of learners.

There are myriad spaces in educational institutions that need to be filled by fostering equity, equality and inclusivity in the systems. In an era of global economic and societal crises, mass education needs to be equitable for all. The educational experience of all students needs to be equitable and fair, providing every learner with maximum exposure to learning opportunities, ensuring optimum educational participation for all. Efforts to ensure equity are the hallmark of learning organisations that contribute to transforming society into an equitable one. The need of the hour is to design reforms designed to target spaces of inequality and inequity to maximise educational opportunities for all, such that all learners, irrespective of personal differences.

Dr Iram Uzair is an assistant professor of education and Dr M Uzair-ul Hassan an associate professor of educationat at University of Sargodha. They can be reached at irumiqbaluos@gmail.com and uhassan74@gmail.com